Gary Lineker reacts after West Ham United forward Jarrod Bowen gets England call-up
Gary Lineker said that he is “chuffed” to see West Ham forward Jarrod Bowen getting his “deserved” chance to represent the England national team.
Gareth Southgate has named players available for upcoming Nations League clashes against Hungary, Italy and Germany today (24 May). Along with Bowen, Leicester City defender James Justin has been handed his first senior call-up.
Arsenal midfielder Emile Smith Rowe and Leicester City’s James Maddison have been left out. Eric Dier also missed out despite his good form.
Lineker wrote on Twitter: “Chuffed for James Justin and Jarrod Bowen on their much deserved call ups.”
Deserved
Southgate said that he thought about including Bowen in the national team set-up back in March, but he got injured at the time.
Bowen picked up an injury while playing against Liverpool and missed a few games after that. The timing was horribly wrong for him, but he truly deserves to be in the England squad.
The 25-year-old does not have a single England appearance at any level, and this inclusion means huge to him and the club. He will become the second player to represent England from West Ham, along with Declan Rice.
Bowen has enjoyed a phenomenal campaign for the Hammers. There were spells when he almost carried the team singlehandedly with his goals and assists.
The versatile attacking midfielder has managed 12 goals and 10 assists in the Premier League this season. He has also scored six more goals in cup games, with three of them coming in the Europa League.
Usually deployed on the right-hand side, Bowen has played behind the striker and often as a striker in the absence of Michail Antonio.
It will be interesting to see how Southgate uses him, as he has got players like Bukayo Saka, Jack Grealish and Phil Foden who can play in his position.
In other West Ham news, a football finance expert has made a mammoth £200m Hammers claim amid recent speculation.
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